Thank You
by squalmasy
Summary: [Oneshot] In which conflicts of lost trust and misinterpreted desires are resolved with a good scream, a smartening kiss, and the bond of friendship. RikuSora, SoraKairi


_Warning for some OOC, I think. I really tried, but I love yaoi and seeing as the ending of KH2 made me a complete believer of Sora Riku friendship and nothing more, it's REALLY hard to make them a pairing without feeling like they're OOC. Dammit, dammit! Oh well..._

_Disclaimer: Don't own 'em_

_Thank You  
(One-shot) In which conflicts of lost trust and misinterpreted desires are resolved with a good scream, a smartening kiss, and the bond of friendship. RikuSora SoraKairi_

* * *

I like the darkness. It's where I'm the most sure of myself.

"Riku, hey, what are you doing in here?"

Donald, Goofy, the king; they'd all stuck around, just getting to know the infamous Destiny Islands, where so many roles in this story had been raised. I guess, if I were from another world, I'd want to know what kind of home the Keyblade Master came from, too. I wonder if a place like this is what Sora's friends had been expecting, or was it completely different from what they had in mind? Before all of these events, I wouldn't have believed that a calm, self-sufficient little place like our home could be the surroundings of a headstrong hero. That's Sora I'm talking about, by the way.

When we came, everything seemed great again. It was either as if our whole lives had been a dream up until then, or as if a new dream had started then on a sunny, sandy whim. The islanders were happy to see us back, Donald and Goofy were happy to be with their king, and Sora and Kairi were happy to have found each other again. I was happy, too. Just knowing that I hadn't screwed any of their lives up for good gave me a good amount more happiness than I felt I really deserved. And at first, it was heaven. At first.

The first talks we shared were of how great it was to be home, and of how beautiful the islands are when you really pay attention. Slowly, those became talk of how nice it felt to have time to really relax. Once everyone was done being completely caught up in the simple fact that we were home, feelings started cooling down until the talk was about the actual journey that had led to our return. For them, it wasn't such a bad thing, but it was a sore topic for me - why? Well, I don't think I have to explain the role I played in that whole mess, and hopefully I don't have to explain my feelings regarding it.

When the reminiscing started, to be sure, I was mostly irritated with and disappointed in Sora. I thought he'd understood what I was saying to him; it was almost _imperative_ that he understand what I was saying, even though I had never said it aloud. The fact was that I wanted to forget, and to ignore, and he seemed like he'd understood that. But his energy and enthusiasm at reliving all that happened, at a time when even thinking about it made me cringe...it said to me that, even with all the I'm-searching-for-Riku theatrics, Sora didn't prioritize me or my feelings.

Why did I care about that so much, though? Why was it not even so bad that I had to hear about my misadventures, but worse that it was Sora who senselessly threw them out into the open?

Regret and self-doubt have always been feelings I hated. Now it's pretty much all I am. I embody those emotions.

I smile at the curl of vines in front of me; a reckless action on my part, as Sora has finally found my little grotto and is probably eyeing me like I've gone mad. It's true that I've been avoiding him and Kairi as much as possible, but I haven't exactly been subtle about it, either; makes you wonder if they guy can take a hint (no.)

...And once the king and his two lackeys left our world, electricity starting building between Sora and Kairi, as one could only expect. Despite the fact that I acted all-grown-up at the end of the battles, I proved myself wrong in thinking that I might feel comfortable with them being so lovey-dovey around each other. I don't think it it's really a problem with my personality, per se; it's more like a classic situation of the third wheel.

I've also begun to feel nostalgia for the darkness. I'm not sure what that implies, but I can say that I definitely know myself better when I'm in the dark. That and my third-wheel-syndrome are the main reasons I like this grotto. Sunlight just barely reaches it, but all the plants and flowers kill the loneliness.

"Riku?"

"Sorry, Sora," I finally speak, turning my head to look at the troubled boy. "What was that?"

His lips smile but his eyes frown. He would have made a pretty girl, I imagine.

"You keep disappearing." He looks around at the plants admiringly. "You know, it's really dark in here..." A smirk finds it way into his voice. "Is this where you're hiding all the time?"

I don't appreciate the wording, but I nod and return to looking at the vine, reaching out to play one of the leaves around my index finger.

"I really like it here." I don't bother answering his question directly. I still have to maintain some air of detachment, especially since I'm feeling nothing of the sort.

Sora hums in acknowledgement, probably used to behavior like mine from all the crazy characters he's met over the course of the past few years. As for me, the people I met and allied with were all kind of the same: enigmatic, calculating, and pretty damn narcissistic. I'd rather not think about them, actually.

"So why didn't you ever show this to me or Kairi?" He asks, as if he genuinely doesn't know the answer to such an obvious question. "I think she'd really like it here. Do you want me to bring her? We can all hang out and you'd still get to be in this place."

I stop playing with the leaf and glance at him. "Aren't you happy just being with her? Why waste your time with this?" I feel and express no bitterness, but he might have imagined some up because he looks both guilty and hurt.

"Riku, I'm sorry, I..." He pauses uncomfortably. I shrug and send him a quick grin.

"You worry too much for your own good," I tell him amiably. "Why don't you think for once instead of jumping to conclusions, huh?"

Sora's disheartened, I can tell. Silly me for being so contradictory. A reason I keep returning to this grotto is because it helps me feel; to be more like what I'm telling him _not _to be. I wouldn't say it aloud too often, but I've grown to admire that heart-instinct of his. I've always been a thinker, but I want to stop - and this place helps me do that. Being in the darkness is how I function, and the vines all around always remind me:

Don't think, just feel.

It's shameful that I need help to do this, but it's not like I have to explain it to anyone. When I start to think, the vines steal my thoughts and tangle them up where I can't find them. Slowly, they melt away from me, and, just for a little while, I am Sora - I simply feel. It's liberating.

"Sorry I'm so stupid," he says after a moment, enunciating the last word irritably. "Sorry for caring how my best friend is feeling."

"I don't feel too often," I laugh, finding myself stupid for sounding so jaded.

He stares at me dubiously, stepping closer to where I'm standing. "Are you trying to screw with my head, or what?" He whines. "I wish you weren't so obsessed with being angry at yourself! Come on, Riku. If Kairi is that important to you, then you should try to win her over from me instead of moping around all the time!"

His breath catches at the last moment; he regrets what he just said. At least now I know what he's been feeling, and what he may fear is the case. He reminded me of myself at that moment: making up competitions and comparing the two of us where real opposition never existed. No, Sora; don't act like me. We'll wreck each other.

He shouldn't worry that I'm after Kairi, though, because I'm not. What I wanted back then was to be the best. Now all I want is peace of mind, and I'm pretty sure I won't find that in breaking up my best friends.

"You're both 'that' important to me, so you quit bothering me and go to your girl." I look at him again. "You're wasting your time with this. I just like being here; that's all it is." A capricious smile catches my lips and I feel like one wise old bugger. "I don't love Kairi like that, believe me."

He is about to retort angrily, but he stops himself, blue eyes brightening in trepidation. "..Riku..."

"Yeah?"

"...It's nothing," he mutters, shaking his head in an uncharacteristic show of tact. Still, if I've known Sora even one day of his life, he's not about to leave.

In that case, I'll just give him something to think about. I sigh soundlessly and stare past the convoluted vine and at the stone behind it, tracing a pattern of nothing in particular in the cool surface with four of my fingers.

"I thought about it," I start vaguely, narrowing my eyes toward the stone in an intentionally affectionate look. "...Darkness and light both exist equally, but, Sora...isn't it _darkness_ that is the natural state of the universe?" I turn and stare at him pointedly. "...Of everything?"

He's taking my words too far to heart, and it's kind of cute how panicked he looks. "Riku, I..."

I shake my head dismissively and grin at him, turning all the way around and setting my back against the stone. "I don't think the darkness I mean is the darkness you're thinking of," I say jokingly. "Darkness is coupled with bad things, but it's not necessarily evil; not by itself." I tilt my head and quirk the side of my mouth thoughtfully. "I work better in the dark. All of me does."

Sora stares at me worriedly, sitting himself cross-legged on the ground. "What are you saying?" He asks, confused.

I smile and laugh good-naturedly. Sweet little Sora. "I'm saying that just because I'm hanging out in dark places, it doesn't mean I'm brooding."

"Eh? But Riku, why would you want to be here all alone?"

Because I'm learning to be more like you. I can't say it aloud, but it's the truth. A horribly paradoxical one, at that, seeing as, when it comes to Sora, I am Sir Condescension.

"I guess I just enjoy the solitude," I reply lamely. "Don't worry about it."

He smiles, though still looking half-confused and partly sad. "Whatever you're thinking, me an' Kairi don't just want to be alone all the time. We miss you."

A bitter, dry laugh escapes my throat. "I miss myself, too." I look at him. " ...Sora, you really ought to leave."

"Wait, but that's not--!"

"Then explain the point of this conversation!" I interrupt loudly, pushing myself off from the wall and staring down at him. "Do you ever listen to me? Do you ever think?" My pulse crawls upward and suddenly my ears are warm. Why am I losing control of myself like this? I thought I was in control. I thought I'd taken care of this stupid emotion!

How can Sora make me lose myself? Every time!

He stands up and stares back at me.

"I don't know what you're so upset about, but I'm trying to help you! Of course I listen to you. I always listen. You're my best friend!" His face is reddening. "And if you believe I never think about anything and I just go through life like some stupid clown, well maybe you're right! Because..." He pauses and looks away, features twisted in indignation. "...because, _you've_ always done the right thing, huh, Riku?"

Ouch.

I lean back against the stone wall and hold my forehead with the ball of my hand, eyelids heavy.

"I'm sorry," I grind out, somewhat insincerely. I can't help it; hearing such harsh words from Sora isn't a usual thing, and nothing about me feels very sincere right now. Now I know, at least, the extent of my mistakes. My betrayal, from my weakness, actually affected the most forgiving boy in all the worlds to the point of holding an emotional grudge against me. A very nasty grudge, as I now see.

"Don't apologize," he demands quietly. "I don't think I can stand an apology from you!"

"So what do you want me to do?" I glance at him crossly. Right now, just barely aware of how strange Sora is acting. "I've left you alone with Kairi, I've given you two my blessings, I've supported all your choices since you met me in this body again." I gesture to myself. "Why can't you appreciate that and let me be?"

"I _do_ appreciate it!" He cries out, flustered, as if this is what he's been trying to say the whole damn time he's been here. "That's why I'm doing this! I can tell you're _not happy_, and I want to help!"

I stop. He stops. The vines wonder if they should let me have my stupid brain back now.

We stare at each other for a while, and I feel a desolate smile coming on. "...I don't know how you do it. This 'follow-your-heart' thing. It's...exhausting."

He continues to watch me with this solemn expression on his face that makes me wonder when cute little Sora became so mature. I feel like a parent sending his kid to college. "What are you talking about?"

"Sora, what I mean is that I'm trying to follow my heart. But...it turns out the thing is pretty damn confused already without my brain getting in the way, and I just - ..." I sigh and shake my head. "I don't even know why I'm getting so caught up in these abstracts. Light this, darkness that. Does it even mean anything?"

I look to the thick foliage that serves as a roof to this grotto, as if the trees will offer answers to my questions.

"Riku..."

I can tell he's calmed down. So have I, but my ears are still warm and my head is hurting the way it only hurts when I've been trying not to cry.

"You live in the light because you know who you are." I feel my eyelashes go up with the direction of my gaze, and I hold my hand halfway over my mouth. "I...in the light, with everything around me, it makes me doubt who I am...Sora, I'm just confused..."

He narrows his eyes thoughtfully.

"Well, sure you're confused. You gotta stop thinking for a minute; just feel."

I've tried, but it's harder for me than you know.

"You know...I have problems, right?" I speak, and his eyes widen comically. I almost laugh.

"Problems?"

"You hit the nail right on the head. I try to think too much, and I end up screwing myself over. Right now...right now..." I trail off, struggling to find the right words.

"What is it, Riku?" He steps closer, probably to make me feel more comfortable, though I've no idea why he'd feel that would do the trick.

"...I just...I don't want to think too hard about any of this. If I start thinking about everything, I know what'll happen. If I don't just stay here and clear my head, I'll probably start being jealous of you and Kairi..."

His blue eyes widen more and I close my eyes.

"...because, Sora, I can't trust myself not to be. I can't...trust myself at all."

I look at him again and see some part of that seemingly infinite hope crumbling in his eyes. Maybe he's been deluding himself into thinking we can go back to how we were before. I'm not sure, really, but either way, it seems as if he was either ignoring or denying the fact that, when it comes down to it, I betrayed him. He can't trust me.

If he trusted me, why would he keep thinking I'm after Kairi? Why wouldn't he believe I just wanted him to be happy? I want him to believe! Sad thing is, though, not even I believe it completely, because like I said, I don't trust myself. Really, how can I be sure I don't harbor secret feelings for Kairi? How can I honestly tell myself that I'm not just a destructive soul?

Dammit.

Do you know what a healthy relationship is built on? Trust.

This here, Sora and me, we have one hell of an unhealthy relationship.

"Don't say stuff like that," Sora complains, though with so little conviction that I feel ten times worse than before. He knows it's true, I'm sure.

My half-covered face is now completely gone behind my whole hand, and my tear-stopping headache gets worse to the point of me having to grit my teeth.

"I'm not really sure what I want," I tell him hoarsely, not having the balls to look at him.

He steps closer to me and puts his smaller hand up on my shoulder. I don't know what to think. He remains silent.

"You know..." I continue. "...I just want...too many things. Too much of a thing." Slowly, I look up from behind my hand and stare into the pretty blue eyes that are so close to my own. "I want, Sora, I've always wanted...attention...l mean..." I narrow my eyes in a stupid little smile. "Kairi's attention, your attention. All of it."

He looks a bit confused, but only in a way that says that he's trying very hard to understand.

"I realized I wanted you to look up to me and want to be like me...I wouldn't feel secure about myself otherwise." I look away. "Pathetic..."

"Riku, that's..." His eyes are wide, but he seems happy for some reason. "...I didn't know it was that strong."

"Strong? What?"

"Your feelings."

I almost scoff. "My problem is that I just can't grow up. After all this time, I'm sitting here pretending to be some asshole prophet meditating in his cave, all because I haven't grown as a person, like you and Kairi have."

I admit, it's invigorating to say these things out loud. Kind of makes me feel like I can conquer the issues easier now that I've said them.

Sora's pleasant laughter suddenly rings in my ears. Why is he so happy? God dammit, I feel so patronized. This is _exactly_ the thing I never wanted. To be patronized by Sora, of all people...dammit, dammit! I don't like it at all! I can't stand it!

He must have thought I was going to join in the laughter after realizing what an easy situation we had, just like in any story he or I or anyone had ever read, but he stops laughing abruptly when my shoulders shake beneath his hand and a choky sob pushes past my chapped lips instead.

"Riku...Riku!" He leans down and squeezes my shoulder urgently. "Riku, don't..."

What's happening to me? How can I admire Sora much but be so infuriated by him that I start sobbing like a complete idiot? I think I might know the answer to that, but I don't really like it. The simple explanation would be that I'm an ego-maniac who can't handle a single candle being held to him.

I always claimed Sora couldn't hold a candle to me, but I'm the one cracking under pressure! Look who is now not only holding a candle to me, but is chucking me in the goddamn fireplace!

I hate these feelings, I hate this situation, I hate what I'm doing and what he's doing and what we've both been saying. I hate the grotto and I hate the vines and I hate all the thoughts they have. I hate Sora's clothes and Sora's necklace and Sora's stupid clown shoes.

Why, Sora, can't I hate you?

I continue angrily fighting the shudders in my chest for a good minute and Sora, to my perverse and annoyed delight, is completely at a loss on what to do. I say it's a good thing I haven't shed any tears, but the fact still remains that I've broken down enough to be half-sobbing in front of the one person who I can't let see my weakness. And what for? I don't even know!

I've always had a big brother complex, and to this day, it hasn't flied. How can he look up to someone who surrenders himself to corrupt forces and then cries like a baby about it?

"What the heck are you so sad about, Riku?" He bursts out desperately, pushing me down to sit against the wall and kneeling so that he can wrap his arms around my head. It's kind of hard to breathe, but he's so warm.

After a moment, I lean into his chest and sigh miserably.

"I feel stupid," I grumble, and he pulls back to stare hard at me. Awkwardly, I return his serious look with a clumsy smile until he is ready to speak.

"You know," he starts carefully, "You always _said_ you were the best, but I think, inside, you feel the other way." He puts a hand on my head, and I can't be bothered to be irritated by the gesture. "You should give yourself more credit, Riku." He grins. "And stop feeling like everyone's out to get you."

I bend my knees up and rest my arms on them, dipping my head.

"You know, this is the worst," I grouse. "I don't want to have to be told what to do or how to fix myself."

"Well, it's too late for that!" He retorts, aggravated.

I look up and smile nervously. "I know."

"Can I help...please?" His expression softens and I know he's trying to work to my preferences by making it seem like a request. But it's just like he said; it's too late for any of that. My head hurt before, but now the dull ache in my heart gets truly painful, and my whole chest tightens up stiffly.

"I think you've done enough. I have to get over myself."

I'm saying whatever I can think of that will make me seem not so pathetic in Sora's eyes. Really and truly, Sora's the only one who matters at this point. How stupid life is for making the one person I want to impress also the one person who can see all my weaknesses.

"Riku." He persists, to my consternation. "Tell me what I can do."

I shut my eyes and lean back. This is worrisome; so worrisome. What if I say something wrong? I've never had a way with words. What I want, Sora, and what you can do for me, is to let me have all of you. I swear if you let me, I'd stick you in a castle tower and keep everything bad away.

I wonder. Why couldn't Sora be a girl? That way it would be easier for me to understand this feeling of wanting to impress and defend him. Right now, I'm just confused as hell, and of course I can't tell him any of this. As I'm sure everyone has felt something like at some point, this is one of those things that could ruin our friendship, make things awkward, et cetera, et cetera, and so on.

"What can you do for me?" I shake my head and smile at him. "Sora, just go and be happy."

I'm not sure, at this point, if I'm being selfless or selfish.

"I can't do that for you," He complains. "Please, isn't there something else?"

I shrug. "Not really."

He stares at me unsurely. "Not 'really?'"

My hand comes up to cover my mouth again and my chest quivers in another unbidden almost-sob. What the hell?

"You can't even trust that I want you to be happy," I mutter. How miserable.

He hesitates for a moment. "I think it's more that you can't trust yourself," He says softly, and I look up at him with wide eyes. Damn, he's...good. "Why do you keep lying, huh? I want to help, but you have to give me a straight answer first."

The word 'straight' comes at me like an arrow. Straight. Straight? Is that what this is about? Is that why I'm so worried? Maybe it's more obvious than I thought. Dammit. I just want Sora and Kairi to be happy. I won't let myself get in the way of that.

"There are a few things you can do," I finally say, reluctant to look up and see the hopeful shine in his eyes. He's not going to like this. "I want you to trust me, so I need to be honest with you."

He looks confused. "You want me to trust you?"

I shake my head gently. "That's not what I'm asking. That, I want to earn on my own."

"Then what?" He leans in expectantly.

I fist my hands on the ground, a nervous habit.

"Hey, Sora. I'll explain in a sec, but will you - ...could you, uh, kiss me?"

Yeah.

Poor guy was totally thrown by that one.

And rightfully so. I know that was a bad idea, but, at the present, I'll say anything to have him understand what this stupidity is all about. It's a test for myself, too, I think, and I hear Sora's voice echo in my head again. _Straight._

"Uh?" He looks at me meekly, confused.

"Sorry, I...I mean..." I bite the inside of my cheek and my eyes travel back to the curl of vines. As if that would have worked. Now I have to apologize for saying such a thing, or make up some excu-

He...he actually did it...

What did I ever do to deserve this kind of friend? He really wants to help. That badly.

"Sora?" I whisper against his lips, kind of puzzled by the way he's holding his palms at the sides of my head and curling the tips of fingers in my hair.

"..." His eyes are squeezed shut and a horrible wrinkle has formed between his brows. "That's it, isn't it?" He whispers back, fingertips pressing harder against my head. He forces himself to look at me, a chagrinned blush on his cheeks and a glaze in his eyes.

"What?" I breathe.

"It's...that...not Kairi..." he hesitates, "Riku...you...love _me_, huh?"

My lips tighten and my expression gets rigid. He gasps quietly and the glaze in his eyes quickly grows into wetness. A tear crawls down one of his cheeks, and then one on the other. He lowers his hands from my head and pulls away from my face, only to crush himself onto this confused one's chest in a firm embrace.

"Sora, what's wrong?" I mutter stupidly, setting my hand on the head resting at my chest. He's completely still, and silent.

"You should have told me," He whines, sounding pained. "If it really matters to you that much, Riku," he looks up, "I can love you back. I promise, I can try."

Huh? Wait.

I pull him away from my chest to get a good look at his tear-streaked face. I find myself grinning in amusement, though I'm more stunned than anything.

"Don't say that..." I scold genially, feeling a ton lighter than before. "I never asked for that. I do appreciate it, but you're making such a big deal out of this. Too big, honestly." I brush the tears away with my knuckles and my grin just gets bigger when he tries to tug my hand away.

"I'm sorry I never understood, Riku. I'm sorry-"

"Quit it, alright?" I interrupt. "I'm not asking for you to force yourself to feel the same way. I just told you because you wanted to know how to help me; because I have to be honest if I want your trust. You've done enough. Right?"

He nods, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and peeking up at me. "That's all I can do?" He seems uneasy.

"There is one more thing." I lower my eyes to the dirt on the ground separating us.

"Hm?" He is interested, probably because he knows that I won't ask him for anything absurd. Maybe he's beginning to trust me again.

I reach out and brush brown bangs away from his expectant eyes, suddenly wanting to kiss him again. I eye his lips for a moment before deciding I won't. I look back up and smile serenely.

"Forgive me. Forgive me for having these feelings."

He stares at me for a moment, a blank expression on his face.

"Forgive you?"

I nod.

" ...No, I can't."

My smile falls. "No?"

He seems to catch the smile I just dropped and it curls his lips into one that makes my heart jump.

"There's nothing to forgive, Riku." I'm surprised he's so comfortable with this. "If anything, I need you to forgive _me_...for always being like, so..." He scratches his head as if he's confused with how he's communicating his thoughts. "For, uh, for...well, you know what I mean."

Surprisingly, I do. I'm not sure if I agree with him, but I do understand his inspired sentiment.

What an amazing person.

"Thanks, Sora," I finally say. "Thank you, a lot."

And I feel pretty good, you know? I've got onedamn shot of blind luck to have this amazing person as my friend. My best friend.

"No problem at all."

We just sit here for a second, staring at each other and sharing the sort of comfortable silence only best friends can share before we have the grace to look at away, at the plants. I smile at the vines, too, and thank them for allowing me to just 'feel' today. It put a surprising amount of progress on my track.

"Oh, I told Kairi I'd be back. We're going over to the other island for ice cream." He stands and stretches, and I stand as well. He hesitates a bit before looking at me hopefully. "Are you feeling- ...eh, do you want to come with?"

I smile. "Yeah, sounds good."

He grins brightly and whoops, tugging me out of my little grotto and into the sunlight. I can't remember the last time it was so sunny on these islands. Maybe even in light, I can still know who I am, and it's thanks to Sora that I understand that. Darkness, light. Who cares anymore?

We race to where Kairi is sitting, and she stands up when she sees us.

"About time!" She calls, exasperated. I guess Sora was gone for a long time. She smiles when she sees me. "Oh, Riku! You finally decided to appear!" She giggles and tucks her long hair behind her ears.

My eyes linger on the strands that didn't want to stay where she just put them; the ones falling over her face. They glow, almost golden, in the sun. It probably sounds stupid to say I never thought about how good she is for Sora, but it's true. I must have been so caught up in my games that I didn't see her as more than a plot coupon between me and him. For the billionth time, let me just say I was wrong. They're practically made for eachother; just look at that gooey, squishy look he's giving her. Princess of Heart and her Shrimpin' Pimpin' Keybladin' Knight. Nice, right?

And...I guess, if I keep a close eye on her, I can trust her to love and care for the world's most precious creation. Fair deal.

"Hey, you dope, wake up." She eyes me, laughter in her voice. "You coming to get ice cream with us?"

"Am I?" I tap my lips in a parody of contemplation. "Let me think. What's in it for me?"

"Well. How kind of you for offering to pay!" She punches my shoulder lightly and I glance over to Sora.

"Yeah, thanks, Riku!" He chimes in. "You're the best!"

I grin at him, and let me just say it's not only my wallet that's feeling lighter. If you ignore the trace remains of tears, everything is laughter and sweets in those big blue eyes. He's looking at _me_ like that; no hesitation, no concern, no suspicions. Even while I'm acting so sweet around Kairi. Does he believe me, finally?

"Nah, Sora, you're the best," I throw out a lopsided grin and leave my words out in the open, to be interpreted however my best friend wants.

You know?

Thanks, Sora. A million times, "thanks." I feel like I can start trusting myself too, now.

And I'm not even in the dark.

* * *

_I used to hate Kairi, but what the heck was my reason for that other than the fact that I wanted Riku and Sora to be together? Now she's pretty damn cool, even though I've no interest in Sora/Kairi fics. I personally think that Riku's acceptance of their love is more likely than him forever harboring secret hopes that Sora would like him back, and I think that his acceptance also proves just how much he loves Sora. That's right. Loves. If he were lusting, it'd be different, but when you love, you learn to let go. _

_Shrimpin' Pimpin' Keybladin' Knight: If he'd taken me up on my offer to try to love him back, it would have meant he doesn't love me for real. Seeeeee? 8D _

_Poufy-Pantsy Negative Nancy: I do love you Sora...(angsts) And my pants aren't poufy anymore...(thank you god)_


End file.
